Guide · 5 min read

Side-panel assistant or a whole new AI browser?

AI browsers ask you to switch browsers. A side-panel extension brings the agent into the Chrome you already use. Trade-offs explained.

Two ways to get an agent

You can install a separate AI browser, or add an assistant to Chrome. Both can read pages and act on them. The difference is everything around it: your bookmarks, passwords, extensions and habits.

Why stay in Chrome

Your sign-ins and extensions keep working.
No migration of bookmarks or passwords.
The assistant opens next to any page and closes when you don’t need it.

What a side panel can’t do

An extension works within Chrome’s rules. It can’t act on Chrome’s own settings pages or on the Chrome Web Store, and it works only while Chrome is open.

When an AI browser makes sense

If you want the AI to run the whole browsing experience — tabs, search and history — an AI browser may suit you. If you want help on demand in the browser you trust, a side panel is lighter.

Next: How to summarize any web page in seconds

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